The New Rider
by ProcrastinatingProcrastinator
Summary: Eragon and Brom are in Teirm in Jeod's house. They discover that Jeod's daughter, Rebecca, came upon a dragon egg. And so the story begins...
1. An Odd Finding

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Eragon. If I owned Eragon, you would see Arya falling down dead, Brom coming back to life and King Galbatorix joining Arya in the pits of hell. If these events haven't occurred, then you are sure that I do NOT own Eragon. Eragon is owned by the one and only Christopher Paolini.

A/N: I would just like to clear up a few things…I did get some scenes from Eragon because…well…just because…and Rebecca is the only child (not related to the reason I got some scenes from the book). If I had made some mistakes, please don't hesitate to tell me. Of course, you have to review to tell me. ;)

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**The New Rider**

_An Odd Finding_

** E**ragon came into the sight of the portcullis just as it was beginning to lower. Calling for them to wait, he put on a burst of speed and slipped inside seconds before the gateway slammed close. "Ya cut that a little close,"observed on of the guards.

"It won't happen again," assured Eragon, bending over to catch his breath. He wound his way through the darkened city to Jeod's house. A lantern hung outside like a beacon.

A plump butler ushered him inside without a word. Tapestries covered the stone walls. Elaborate rugs dotted the polished wood floor, which glowed with the light from the candelabra hanging from the ceiling. Smoke drifted through the air and collected above.

"This way, sir. Your friend is in the study."

They passed scores of doorways until the butler opened one to reveal a study. Books covered the room's walls. But unlike those in Jeod's office, these came in every size and shape. A fireplace filled with blazing logs warmed the room. Brom and Jeod sat before and oval writing desk, talking amiably. Brom raised his pipe and in said a jovial voice, "Ah, here you are. We were getting worried about you. How was your walk?"

_ I wonder what put him in such a good mood? Why doesn't he just come out and say how Saphira is? _"Pleasant, but the guards almost locked me outside the city. And Teirm is big. I had trouble finding this house."

Jeod chuckled. "When you have seen Dras-Leona, Gil'ead or even Kuasta, you won't be easily impressed by this small ocean city. I like it here, though. When it's not raining Teirm is quite beautiful."

"Mum! Dad! I'm ho-oof!" A feminine voice sounded from the hallways.

Brom put his pipe into his mouth. "It appears as if someone went into the wrong house, drunk."

Jeod chuckled. "That someone has gone into the correct house and is not drunk. That someone is my ever clumsy daughter."

The door opened and before them stood a girl about fifteen with waist-length ebony hair and ocean blue eyes. She wore a white dress with two slits on each side of her body, the slits reached from her ankles and almost up to her blue sash decorated with beads. Eragon couldn't help but blush when he saw her legs. She had a sheathed sword that she kept tied to her waist, and a bag slung over her shoulder. "Hi Dad!" She gave a friendly wave, smiled and gave a polite nod to Eragon and Brom.

"Hello Rebecca. Why are you so happy and why are you limping?" Jeod asked the girl called Rebecca.

"I'm limping because the ever clumsy me, as you would put it, tripped on something while I was racing to the gates at dawn. But, in the process of tripping I made a discovery!" She smiled from ear to ear.

"Really now? You should tell me that later. This is Brom" Jeod pointed to the old man. "And this is Eragon" he pointed to the young man.

"Pleasure to meet you Brom," she shook hands with Brom. "Eragon" She also shook hands with him. Eragon smiled at her.

"I am interested in that discovery you made, Rebecca…If you don't mind Jeod." Brom looked at Jeod. Jeod shook his head and said, "I would like to know too."

Rebecca put down her bag and pulled an oval stone from it. It was violet with lilac veins spider webbed across it. "Where did you find this?" Brom sounded harsh when he asked her. She was taken aback by the harshness but answered, looking like she wasn't affected.

"I found it out in the forest. I tripped on it while I was racing to the gates so that the guards wouldn't lock me outside."

"My dear …do you know what this is?" Jeod asked her.

"Uhm…It's a polished stone…isn't it?" she was quite unsure of her answer.

"No, it's a dragon egg…and you are a Rider…" Brom answered quietly, almost above a whisper.

"I'm…I'm…a Rider?" she was taken aback by the fact that she was a Rider. She had never thought that she would one day be a one…until now.

"Yes…" Brom emitted a circle of smoke from his mouth.

"But…T-that can't be…I mean…" She was at a loss for words.

"A dragon chooses it's partner…and you have been chosen by this dragon…although…how you found it is somewhat odd." Brom had an amused smile on his face.

"This means I…have to leave Teirm? I mean, I have been away from Teirm but...I don't think I'll be coming back anytime soon…"

_ On one hand…I'm never coming back to Teirm…on the other hand…I get to have a dragon! How cool will that be?!_

"It's okay with me dear child…It's your destiny…but, Do you think Helen will approve of you going with them?" Jeod pointed out.

"Why would I be going with them?" She looked incredulously at Jeod, Brom and Eragon.

"Is there a problem?" Brom asked.

"No, I just want to know _why_ I'll be coming with you…" She had a sudden interest in the floor.

"Because I'm a Rider too." Eragon finally spoke up.

"O-oh…well…If you need anything I'll be in my room, reading." She hobbled over to the door and gently closed it.

"She has an interest in books?" Brom asked Jeod.

"Yes, she's a bibliophile like me. Come let's eat dinner."

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"Could somebody call Rebecca please?" Helen asked.

"I'll call her. Where is her room?" Eragon offered.

"Up the stairs and it's the first room you'll see." Helen smiled sweetly. Eragon thanked her and went up the stairs. He opened the door quietly, his eyes scanned the room. Tapestries and bookshelves covered the walls, laden with records of wonderful stories waiting to be discovered. Blue and white rugs covered the light mahogany floors. In the corner of the room was a blue and black, neatly made bed. A white divan caught Eragon's eye; it was placed under a bay window, and sitting on the divan was Rebecca reading a book. The pale moonlight cast a ray on her face, giving her a heavenly look. Eragon cleared his throat and she looked up.

"I'm sorry I didn't knock. You're mother's calling you for dinner." She smiled at him.

"Thank you. You don't have to wait up for me." Eragon closed the door and noiselessly ran down the stairs.

* * *

"Ow! Dammit!" Brom and Eragon looked up to see Rebecca leaning against the door frame.

"Don't swear Rebecca." Helen's voice came from the kitchen.

"You see…Helen doesn't like us swearing." Jeod explained, not looking up from his food.

"Yeah, why is that mum?" Rebecca hobbled to her seat.

"Because I'm so pure of heart." Helen emerged from the kitchen.

"So pure of heart." Jeod and Rebecca repeated with sarcasm.

"It's true!" Helen waved her ladle at them.

Rebecca waited until Helen was in the kitchen before talking. "Yeah, right" she took a bite out of her food.

"Rebecca…can you teach Eragon how to read? I'll be quite busy." Brom asked breaking the silence. Eragon blushed feeling embarrassed.

"Uh…okay…will I teach him how to write as well?"

"Yes. Thank you."

"It's no trouble. I should teach him tomorrow night because I have a job to do tomorrow and I need to sleep early tonight. If it's no problem to Eragon I mean."

"It's no problem." Eragon was a bit happy because Brom wasn't going to teach him. Brom was really stern when he taught Eragon.

"May I be excused?" Rebecca asked when she finished eating.

"You may." Jeod said.

* * *

That night….

Rebecca wrote a rune on a piece of parchment with charcoal.

"That is an _a_. I want you to practice writing it now please." And thus began Eragon's quest of being literate. After a few nights, Eragon could write-if a bit illegible-thanks to Rebecca's fun exercises and puzzles. She always made him read aloud to her at nights so she could correct his pronunciation and add words to Eragon's vocabulary. He read slowly but she would always encourage him, "Do not worry…you pick up fast. In a few days you could read as fast as a grown wolf catching a deer when it's famished." Eragon would laugh at the comparison but he would only earn glares from her. His lessons did not go unpaid, after every session she would make him tell about a little of his past.

It was afternoon when Brom summoned Jeod and Eragon both to the study. Brom gestured at Eragon. "Now that you can help us, think it's time to move ahead."

"What do you have in mind?" Eragon asked.

A fierce smile danced on Brom's face. Jeod groaned. "I know that look; it's what got us into trouble in the first place."

"A bit exaggerated," said Brom "but not unwarranted. Very well this is what we'll do…."

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A/N: Thank you for reading :) I'd appreciate it if you would review so I would be informed if you liked it! If you would like to know, Rebecca doesn't like dresses; her outfit is technically a dress with 2 slits. She likes it because she feels comfy; she doesn't like the other dresses because she feels confined. Comments, suggestions, extra characters, flames, and constructive criticism are welcome:) 


	2. The Merchant's Inn

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Eragon or any of it's characters. They belong to Christopher Paolini and no one else. I just wish I could own Eragon… ;)

A/N: Thank you to all my reviewers:) I am so happy! And don't worry I accept flames and it's okay…everybody has their opinions. No worries:)

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The New Rider

_The Merchant's Inn_

Eragon waited nervously until the light faded. Then he entered the hallway and shrugged so the quiver settled comfortably on his back. Brom joined him carrying his sword and staff.

Jeod dressed in a black doublet and hose, was waiting for them outside. From his waist swung an elegant rapier and a leather pouch. Brom eyed the rapier and observed, "That toad sticker is too thin for any real fighting. What will you do if someone comes after you with a broadsword or a flamberge?"

"Be realistic," said Jeod. "None of the guards have a flamberge. Besides, this _toad sticker_ is faster than a broadsword."

Brom shrugged. "It's your neck."

Suddenly, a girl with brown hair and green eyes walked over to them.

"Excuse me…Mr. Jeod, is Rebecca at home?"

"Yes, she is. She's in her room. Why do you ask?"

"Well...I just wanted to tell her that Grindylow is hiring another worker and he wants her to tell her all about the inn…"

"HIM?"

"Um…yes, I said HIM…is…there a problem? Because if there is I—"

The door opened and Rebecca ran out. "I'M HE—OOF!" She tripped on her own feet.

"Sorry 'bout that!" An innocent smile planted itself onto her face like nothing happened.

"Let's get going, Beatrice! Dad and his friends are going to take a walk now!" She took her friend by the arm and dragged her off.

"OoOoOh! Who's that cute guy over there?! Why don't you introduce him to me?!" Beatrice whined in Rebecca's ear until she let go.

"Look Bea, if you want to flirt with Eragon that's fine! But I am leaving you! Grindylow has a temper and I don't want to lose my job!" With that she marched off to _The Merchant's Inn;_ the place wherein she worked.

It was called that because whenever merchants from neighboring places needed lodging or food they would always go there; Lucas Grindylow is the owner of _The Merchant's Inn_, he was a merchant in his late teens but because traveling was getting hard for him since he was not as young as he used to be and was not fit for traveling, he built the inn for his fellow merchants and friends.

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After a few minutes of walking, she had reached the inn, it was a building painted with a rich creamy color. The tiled roof was a brick red color, the windows were high up, the shutters were bright red and the door was of the same color and had a shiny gold knob. Unlighted lanterns were hanging from the roof. It had many different colors; blue, red, green, yellow, and more. It was really pretty but due to the weather and war and not being able to resist the sands of time, its paint was wearing off and some of the shutters were broken; Lucas Grindylow never bothered to fix it. She sighed and walked in. It was filled with noisy merchants, some were drunk, some were sober, and some were sprawled out on the floor unconscious; although, compared to the night life of the inn, it was only ¼ of the population.

"REBECCA!!!!" Boomed a large male voice behind her. She twirled around to find a slightly stout man 3 feet taller than her.

He was wearing a red coat with gold trimmings along with a pair of loose black pants and an expensive-looking shirt. He had shoulder-length grey hair pulled back into a ponytail and he had a beard also put into a ponytail. He had a scar running over his left eye; some say he got it from a fight he had with his wife's other suitors when he was a teen, while some say that he worked for Galbatorix once and managed to escape; but not without a scar from one of the guards. Rebecca believed neither, she thought Grindylow may be very loud and grouchy and sure, he got into fights here and there but he would never hurt a fly, well, unless it was an evil fly that he just happened to hate…he even protected her when she was a kid when one of the Urgals almost killed her. She was a mere 6 year old by that time but she still remembered that he got it from the axe the Urgal was carrying; although she would never tell it to anyone for fear of it spreading and hurting Grindylow's pride.

"Hello Sir Grindylow…" All of the employees of the inn were afraid of him except Rebecca but she made a note to never anger him because he was a very big man with a strong grip, and it means danger if you cross a man like that, especially one who loses his temper often.

"THIS HERE'S M'NEPHEW, SEPTIMUS!" He pulled over to him a thin boy the same age as her with blonde hair and green eyes (1); he looked _way_ kinder than Grindylow to be his niece. "HE'S M'NEW RECRUIT AND _YOURE_ GONNA SHOW HIM THE ROPES. UNDERSTAND??!!!"

"Yes, sir…" Rebecca said, nodding politely to Septimus.

"Good." He whispered. "I trust everything will go smoothly? Because if anything goes wrong…one of you…will pay." He pointed slowly to each of them. "Good day." Rebecca nodded and beckoned Septimus to follow her into the kitchen.

"How old are you?" Rebecca asked him.

"I'm fifteen. You?" He shortly answered.

"I'm fifteen too. Nice to meet you Septimus…" She smiled at him.

"Nice to meet you too Rebecca…" He smiled back at her and offered his hand. Rebecca shook it gently and then let go.

"First off, I'll tell you the '5 Do's and Don'ts' about Grindylow." She said to him.

"1st: Don't shout at him; he might get angry and you won't like him when he's angry.

2nd: When talking to him, always be polite, like adding a sir or Mr. to his name…

3rd: Never arrive late else you want to lose your job.

4th: Never complain…it'll just make him angry and kick you out.

And the last and most important rule: _Never ever_ try and stop him in a fight. You'll just get hurt, yelled at and you will also lose your job. Did you get all of it?" She finished.

"Yeah…but how do you know these things?"

"Let's just say I observe things better than other people and stick with that."

For the rest of the day, she showed him everything from the basement to Grindylow's headquarters.

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When she got back home, she was tired, grumpy and just wanted to sleep. Unfortunately, her stomach protested and, being one who always follows her stomach, dragged her feet into the dining area. She slumped on the chair and sighed.

"How was work?" Jeod said from across the table. She didn't even see him there; maybe it was just the fatigue. Anyway, she looked around and saw Brom beside her father, and Eragon was beside her.

"How was work?" Jeod repeated louder. A grunt was heard from her, which sounded like 'terrible'.

"Well?"

"You want details?" Jeod just nodded.

"Well, first Grindylow introduced me to his nephew, Septimus, and then I gave him a tour. Since the inn is really big I got tired of walking around and around it trying to show him everything. Unfortunately, Septimus drank lots and lots of water before Grindylow got him and I guided him to the bathrooms…**_THRICE_**. And he asked me stupid questions like 'Why are you my tour guide and not my uncle?' or 'How much do you get paid to show me around?' I swear he is getting on my last nerve…" She said painfully.

"Well, our day was…productive." Jeod carefully picked the words. Rebecca raised an eyebrow but let it slip. This time.

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(1) I made him like Septimus Heap! If you have ever read the _Septimus Heap trilogy_ you would know him. The subtitles of the books are _Magyk_ and _Flyte. _They're really good books! You MUST read them…they're fantasy books.

A/N: Thank you for reading:) Please rate and review:)

**Septimus Heap: **Hey! I'm from another story! Why am I here?! Marcia!

**Me:** Stop calling her…Marcia Overstrand is always busy and she can't hear you from hear.

**Septimus: **Who are you?! Where's Jenna?! Did you kidnap me?!

**Me: **Don't worry. You're safe here. I'm the powerful author and as long as you quiet down you're safe. But if you _don't_ I'll feed you to your own dragon.

**Septimus:** (keeps really quiet)

**Me: **Good.


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